The Hubble is a relic.
James Webb Space Telescope Launch Delayed til 2019
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-delayed-2019/
The James Webb Telescope is the "new and improved" version of the Hubble, and it has me rather excited. The Hubble, although it did advance our understanding of the cosmos, had limitations. James Webb will be another major step towards furthering our understanding of both what our universe is, and is not. I think it is just as important to learn what the universe is not in order to have a more complete understanding of what the universe is. And right now, it is estimated that we are only aware of about 5% of the basic concepts that are out there, so we are gonna get some things wrong. Important thing is that we learn from them. Eventually, even the James Webb Space Telescope will outlive its usefulness, and hopefully be replaced by even more advanced technology.
I think that the reason that most of us are here to begin with is that we are almost all above average intelligence. It seems to be one common trait amongst most of us. Our individual perspectives and skillsets will very quite widely. Our ability to process data has led most of us to similar conclusions about things being very wrong with our government and had been unified in our support of Ron Paul and the Libertarian Principles. We dont all have the exact same point of views, and those differences have enabled us to become stronger as a community, even if the interest in Ron Paul himself has waned. I think we usually work best when we enact our ability to entertain opposing points of view without either accepting or rejecting them. We fall apart when individuals say I am right and the rest of you are all wrong, now blindly accept my idea because I dont care about your opinions.
Do Black Holes exist? Math says they probably do. Stephen Hawking said they probably do. But Black Holes are not the and all and be all of our understanding, only a very small part of it. If we look to our past, people used to genuinely believe that the earth was flat because they had no way of knowing that it was not. I dont mean like a hundred years ago, or even Egyptian times, I mean like Cave Man times. Even the Greeks knew the Earth was round, and were even able to give a very good approximation of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. We believed that men could not fly. Then we flew. We also believed that "Time Travel" would occur if you went faster than the speed of sound, not light. Then we broke the sound barrier and found it that we were wrong. We thought we could not put a man in outer space. Then we did. We thought we could not put a man on the moon, yet, we did that too.

Are people finally starting to understand what Ed said?
Edward Snowden: Facebook Is A Surveillance Company Rebranded As "Social Media"
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?520529-Edward-Snowden-Facebook-Is-A-Surveillance-Company-Rebranded-As-quot-Social-Media-quot

Theres two words that come to mind about the whole fucking thing.
WOODS
and
THROW
They are NOT making things last longer. They are not releasing new models that fix existing problems. They are not trying to make things better. They are not interested in making things that break less. What they are trying to do is even worse. They are trying to design everything to become obsolete as soon as possible. They are trying to make things interconnected so they can sell data that is collected. They are trying to use everything as an advertising platform. They are trying to make things crappy and cheap so they break intentionally. They are trying to overcharge for cheaper and cheaper crap. They are not giving us useful features while overloading us with things we dont want.
This is not the way the future is supposed to be. The future is supposed to be actually better than what we had before, not worse. If we ever do make a star ship, we will be lucky if it makes it as far as the moon without needing to be hauled back in for a major repair. Their machines make us dumber than we ever have been. They try to recommend we buy products, not because we need them, but purely so they can make money on selling us shit we dont need and cant afford that is actually worse than the previous model. These self driving cars are merely surveillance tools that will be shut off at the first sign of revolution against the Corporation State.

Features are fine. Taking control away from drivers is not.
If you turn your car left and the cars computer decides you should be turning right and the car goes right, that is dangerous. If you decide you dont have enough time to safely stop for a yellow light and the car disagrees with your decision and slams on the brakes, that is dangerous. If you decide to park your new car on your gravel driveway and the car wont let you because its not GPS mapped, thats dangerous.
The real danger to freedom is the individuality that goes along with it. Stripping a person of individual choices and determining the course of their lives for them will always result in less benefits to those who are not allowed to think for themselves.
This is control. They decide for you, not on what is best for you, but what is best for them. You are given an Illusion of Choice. Choose between Coke or Pepsi. McDonalds or Burger King. The choice you are never offered is to not buy either. Why? They dont care about you, they care about them. You are given a choice between which ads to watch, but never are allowed to choose no ads at all. You are given a choice of which city or state to pay taxes to, but are never allowed to choose to not pay taxes.
The very idea that you have any choice at all itself is now under attack. Google decides what the temperature in your house should be. Amazon decides when it is time to go to the store and buy more milk. Now, the very choices that determine where you go are systematically being taken away until the only thing left to do is to watch the giant TV spout propaganda against the enemy of the week while you profess your eternal obedience to your overlords.

We are only 7 meals from Revolution!
When the people go hungry, they will revolt if they begin to starve. Society breaks down. It does so because we have no other choice but to revert in order to survive.

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/03/17/036229/facebook-suspends-donald-trumps-data-operations-team-for-misusing-peoples-personal-information
Bwa ha ha ha ha! So going after ONLY Trump is just fine but NOT going after Team Hittlary is also fine? Pot calling the kettle black? Sure, the Hittlary Crew never misused any data they got either. Oh, and Facebook can now dictate the Law of the Land? They get to decide what is the "right" way to influence an election? Not the people? Not the Law? Not the Constitution? Seriously?

Common manipulation strategy.
If the facts cant be disputed, then do something else. Try attacking the reputation of the source. Move the goalpost. Redirect the conversation away from the initial topic, even if the redirection is subtle. Next will be to present information contrary to any claims, but dont use contradicting information as a first move because the tactics also work by the opponent. Basically, he will try to present information from the Fed that factors back in the Federal Debt Insurance and claim thats the official number, despite that being exactly what is being questioned.
Think of the tactics of lying this way. The first way to lie is to make a direct untrue statement. "The glass is on the table." The second way to lie is to exclude information. Say absolutely nothing about the glass what so ever and only talk about the table. It is much more difficult to find the excluded information than it is to have a set of information that can be checked. "Glass is on the table." Two subjects, glass and table. Its also a list. Check the glass and check the table. If the list is incomplete and only contains Table, nothing else would jump out at an average person to say "what about the glass?". An average person will think about the table and think that all needed information has been presented because there was never any mention to include the glass. Its a much more effective way of lying and much harder to spot.
Heres an example intended to make the resulting math completely wrong.
Circumference = Pi * 2 * Radius (correct)
Circumference = Pi * Radius (incorrect)

Agree, it can not continue without a major correction.
What it proves? In and of itself, not much. Its the overall trend of many stores from many different companies that needs to be observed.
Im sure a lot of the stuff sold in Toys R Us is not made in the US. If the Tariff Trends continue, this could be bad for those overseas manufacturers, which could be good for us. Not sure on that either. Thing is, thats 33,000 jobs (according to the article) which is a good chunk of "new jobs created every month" that now have to be "created" to handle the people that lost their jobs. Not that they were great jobs to begin with, but they were jobs. That, in and of itself is something that the country can handle. But like I said, its the overall trend to watch, not just one chain. Lose 10 chain stores like Toys R Us, roughly equal in size, and thats 330,000 jobs that go bye bye. That is more jobs than the US "creates" every month. A major economic downturn wont hit only one chain, or a limited number of chains. It will hit EVERY business in the US. Again, watch the Trend. A severe major economic downturn or correction will hit hundreds and even thousands of businesses, and tens of thousands of individual stores.
If we dont want to look at Toys R Us as the small sample, but bigger picture, try watching this related thread:
The retail apocalypse has officially descended on America
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?508915-The-retail-apocalypse-has-officially-descended-on-America

Ink Cost to Consumer: $59.95
Ink Cost to Manufacture: $0.23
I think this is something we all already know about! At least on some level... So, lets hear some Libertarian solutions! Right to repair? 3rd Party Ink Cartridges at lower cost? Stop buying their garbage with a Boycott?
How can we use a Free Market to have a solution that does not completely screw the customers over while not destroying ethical businesses and without govt interference?

Not sure. If all the tariffs that Trump is putting down causes these things to be made over here again, it could be a good thing.
Honestly what worries me more than anything else is a flat out repeat of 2008 where its our jobs that are going away, and really still havent come back. Im sure Zippy will be in shortly to say otherwise as he always does. Overall, this does make me think there is a possibility that another economic downturn is right around the corner.
One thing is for sure, if the economy does have a major downturn again (as happens every 7 years and we are overdue for our next), they will try to pin the entire thing on Trump. Not that I actually trust him to not have his own agenda either...

https://science.slashdot.org/story/18/03/14/2032238/scientists-create-a-way-for-people-with-amputations-to-feel-their-prosthetics
What kind of prosthetic would Six Million Dollars buy? A pinky finger? Maybe a hangnail?
This is actually quite good news I think, as long as all your sensory data is not recorded and monitored by Facebook, Google, and Amazon...

Related thread, but not the exact same thing...
Amazon Doesn’t Just Want to Dominate the Market—It Wants to Become the Market
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?519558-Amazon-Doesn%92t-Just-Want-to-Dominate-the-Market%97It-Wants-to-Become-the-Market
The best business to be in is the business of government, where one company can pass laws that prohibit competition while exempting itself.

Nope, no bailout. Unless that just means a bunch of people willingly run in and buy stuff just to give them an increase in legit business.
Mom and pop shops are the foundation of this country, not mega corporations. They are inefficient because they tend to treat employees like human beings as opposed to a disposable workforce.
So by the same token, should all Mom and Pop businesses go away because their business model does not maximize profit margins at the expense of both customers and employees?

I really hope that they do not take the SyFy Channel approach of using Nuclear Weapons to solve ALL the worlds problems.
Ice Volcano? No problem, just nuke it! Giant Mutant Shark-topus? No problem, just nuke it! Dark Energy Tornado? Just nuke it, or attach a flare to a propane tank and throw it at the tornado. Continental Drift? Just nuke it. Jupiter falls out of orbit? Just nuke it. Asteroid? Just nuke it. Leaky faucet? Just nuke it! Capt. Thump Rockgroin and Lt. Cmdr. Beef Hardpeck misplaced their car keys? Just nuke it!
Seriously, I hope like hell they do not try to upsell Nuclear War as being a good thing by claiming that only Nuclear Winter can combat Global Warming.
I have a suspicion that they are actively planning nuclear armageddon on the planet. I hope like hell I am wrong...

VPN
Of course, not all VPNs are created equal. Facebook now has its own VPN which it uses to collect just as much data on its users. All Facebook's VPN does is gives Facebook the ability to record ALL internet connection activity (not just web) and all the ISP gets is encrypted data that they do not have the keys for.
If anyone is considering a good VPN, I would recommend Private Internet Access.

Last time I went was years ago with a girlfriend for her kids. I dont have any kids of my own. My toy stores tend to be specialty auto parts shops and grown up toys. Toys R Us doesnt really have anything to draw in adults, like high end remote control cars or other grown up toys. I cant say how the service was because its been over a decade since Ive been to one, and yes, that does contribute to their bankruptcy, but so do other factors like Amazon, Walmart, overpriced goods, customer service, etc.
One point that should be made is that parents spend extra money on toys for children. When money gets tight, cheaper toys are sought. And for most people, that extra money simply isnt there.
---

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/03/14/2054255/new-bill-in-congress-would-bypass-the-fourth-amendment-hand-your-data-to-police
Oops! Your data apparently isnt protected at all by the 4th Amendment because your data is NOT on your computer, its stored in the CLOUD! Oh, by the way, you should spend all your money on CLOUD products and CLOUD services so you give up all your control to corporations and a crony govt that throws you overboard the moment you go to collect anything owed to you.
Nothing to fear, nothing to hide, right? RIGHT?
Without Privacy, everything can be used AGAINST you in a court of law.

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/03/14/237248/toys-r-us-to-close-all-800-of-its-us-stores
Everything is awesome!
Its okay tho since you can just go to Amazon and get all the same shit! Screw Toys Were Us, they had a bad business model! Its their own fault and the economy is STRONG! Jesus, I keep talking like that, I will probably deserve some negative rep!

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/03/14/2054255/new-bill-in-congress-would-bypass-the-fourth-amendment-hand-your-data-to-police
Oops! Your data apparently isnt protected at all by the 4th Amendment because your data is NOT on your computer, its stored in the CLOUD! Oh, by the way, you should spend all your money on CLOUD products and CLOUD services so you give up all your control to corporations and a crony govt that throws you overboard the moment you go to collect anything owed to you.
Nothing to fear, nothing to hide, right? RIGHT?
Without Privacy, everything can be used AGAINST you in a court of law.

General Information

Recent Entries

(This was a post that I slightly edited to make sense by itself. The original post is here.)

Very few people are looking toward the Future when Privacy is Impossible. But if Privacy is completely gone, will a Revolution even be possible?

Google GlASS might be able to record what you do right now as a video, but this will only be the first in a long series of progressively privacy invading advancements. One of them inevitably will be Google Contact Lenses. However,